Tough Love Or is it Just Hate? HIATUS
by harligrace
Summary: When Sirius Black walked into my Diner, I didn't know what to do. So I flirted. Ok, so I might just have a thing for Sirius Black. And as for the other Marauders... Peter? Um, no. James? Cute, but Lily would murder me. Remus... Well, that's history. BEING RE-WRITTEN.
1. Guess who walked in?

**AN: Hey! Welcome to my new story, Tough Love. I've recently fixed up this chapter, and I should be doing the same to the others soon. Please leave me a quick review to let me know what you think (: I appreciate any and all feedback, even if it's harsh! Thanks for reading :D**

**EDIT**

**Holy mother of crap I read through this again and noticed how COMPLETELY CRAPPY it was, so I've fixed it again. I'm now off to do the same to the other chapters, and finish the few more I have on my computer. Farewell for now my lovely readers! (If anyone actually reads this, that is...)**

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I'd barely taken a puff before a screeching call came rushing outside, along with a gust of warm air flung out with the door.

"Alex, get in here!" Gigi had yelled. I sighed and stood, pushing myself off the scungy brick wall and stomping out my cigarette on the pavement.

I strode back inside the diner, or 'Hell' as Lyn and I had nick-named it, and couldn't help but sigh a little. Lyn went to the same school as me, and we'd somehow managed to get jobs at the same Diner. Completely by chance, which was the strange thing, but we'd swiftly become close friends and it had stayed that way since we'd met in fifth year.

So, back to hell I went.

To be completely honest, I actually didn't mind it too much… Not that I'd ever admit that in front of... Well, anyone. The attention did wonders for my ego, sometimes but like any normal person, I usually hated it. There were always men leering and groping me, and it was only our huge chef that stopped things getting out of hand.

Entering the diner from the back alley is like discovering a whole new world – but not a fresh, clean, 'Little Mermaid' world, mind. It's bustling and smelly and _loud_. People are constantly talking over one another, voices fighting for dominance. Two years, I'd worked there, so despite the distractions, I quickly spotted why Gigi had called me back in early. A rowdy group of boys had just sat in one of Lyn's tables, but she had her hands full with a group of seven. This place wasn't exactly famous for its service, but I needed the tips, so I gestured to her that I was on it and hurried over, pen tucked behind my ear and pad in hand.

"What can I get you fine gentlemen this evening?" I purred, retrieving my pen.

Though I only worked in school breaks, I knew that a flirty attitude and a short skirt brought in larger tips, I wasn't stupid. There was no doubt that I could pull off both, and Gigi was one of the rare employers that lets you keep all your tips. Some take a certain percentage, but Gigi understands that we work hard.

Looking up from my order pad, my playful smile faltered as I stared down into the faces of the Marauders. The four most popular boys in my school. Hogwarts. Why they were visiting a muggle diner in the middle of London, I had no idea.

What a way to start the night.

"I'll have – wait, do I know you?"

I mentally groaned as James Potter, their ringleader squinted at me. I flicked my eyes towards the shape half hidden behind him, and quickly looked back down at my feet; which were clad in ridiculous red heels to match the cherry-red uniform I wore. (I only had a two hour shift that night, and they weren't that high.)

"I-I don't think so, sir. May I suggest the specials of the day? Our beef and cheddar-"

"No, I know you; you tried out for Quidditch, right? You go to our school?" Another voice pitched in.

I felt myself melt a little- it was Sirius Black that had spoken. His voice was divine. He flung an arm over the edge of the booth and stretched a jean encased leg out under the table royaly. He looked like he barely fit, being the tallest of the four. I was practically drooling already, but I decided to get it over with and not give them the satisfaction of seeing me too flustered. Sighing, I looked him in the eye.

"Yeah, I do. I'm in your house, actually." Actually, come to think of it I was a tad offended that they hadn't recognised me earlier… But at the same time I wished they hadn't at all. "But right now I'm working," I continued, "so can I take your orders?" I could see James open his mouth to speak – to order, hopefully – but to my displeasure it was Remus that cut in, leaning out from behind James.

"Alex?" Yes, this was the moment I had been dreading.

Remus and I had dated briefly last year, and… It hadn't ended particularly well.

"Merlin, I didn't even recognise you!" Surprised by his almost happy tone of voice, I briefly smiled at him. I had to admit that I wasn't very recognisable; my hair was pulled up into a high bun, tendrils curling around my face. I even wore makeup. Quite a lot, truth be told. It was a far-cry from the Alex they would've seen at school; blonde hair loose and hiding my face, minimal make up, if any, and a proper sized skirt to boot. But more importantly, why was he even acknowledging me?

"Wait, you hexed Professor McGonagall, didn't you?" Black asked, curiosity (and amusement) colouring his tone. I lost the smile. That was a painful topic with me. Well, the detentions I'd had for two months after that were painful.

"Yeah, you're in the same year as us! You're Lily's friend, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but smile genuinely at Potters innocent query. He was so painfully in love with Lily, it was adorable. But Gigi was calling me, and I needed to rush them along a little.

"Yeah, we're close. But honestly, are you going to order?" They looked at each other guiltily as I looked them over, carefully avoiding Remus's eyes.

"Uh, actually we weren't planning on having to pay" Black said, somewhat sheepishly. That was a new sound for him.

"Well, you're out of luck, then. Sadly you can't charm me into giving away food."

I'd heard that wizards had been doing that, using the confundus charm on muggles unnecessarily, but I'd never really thought how it might affect them. I gave the boys a withering look, and again, they looked guiltily at each other. I couldn't help but notice that Remus rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Knowing him, he'd probably tried to talk them out of it. He was a good person, really. It seemed I just brought out the worst in him, or something. Who knows.

"Never mind," I deadpanned. "How much money you got?" They emptied their pockets, but Sirius was the only one who actually had anywhere near a helpful amount of muggle money. I bit my lip, trying to think of what they could get with that little... "Do you all like pie?" They all nodded, Peter looking comically enthusiastic.

"We're guys," James said jovially. "We'll eat anything!" I laughed lightly, stumbling over quick calculations in my head.

"Ok," I said. "You can get four pieces of pie and two drinks. I can nick the other two without anyone noticing. That sound good?"

"Perfect!" James said, looking almost as enthusiastic as Peter.

"But you better pay me back," I cautioned, waving a finger at them.

"We will, I promise," James said. I smiled brightly at him and twirled my pen between my fingers.

"Ok, then! I'll be right back with your food!" There was a chorus of 'Thanks' and I lazily wriggled my fingers at them in way of acknowledgement as I walked away.

Reaching the hole in the wall through to the kitchen, I stuck their order on the little carousel and grinned at our African cook, Azaan. He'd only been working here for a few months, but he'd become a favourite with everyone. There may have been a few racist comments floating around when Az first started, but his calm and steady presence soon dispelled any nonsense.

"The dark haired one was staring at your backside," Az said, deed voice sounding amused. I turned and looked, but they were talking animatedly, and neither James nor Sirius were looking my way.

"With or without glasses?" I asked curiously.

"Without," he replied. I felt a sudden surge of something like pride that someone like Sirius had admired my bum. Without saying a thing, Az turned around and headed back into the kitchen to cook, but I spotted a twinkle in his eyes. Suddenly I was barrelled into by a very excited looking Lyn.

"Are they who I think they are?" She squeaked. I giggled at her and nodded. "No way!" I risked a look over at the Marauders table, thinking that they'd probably heard thanks to how close they were seated, and I was right. Or at least, partly. Sirius was looking our way curiously, but the other three were still talking. I waved at him, a slightly embarrassed look on my face.

"Shush, Lyn!" I chided her. "They-"

"Come on you two!" Gigi suddenly cried. Lyn and I snapped back into action, bustling away to serve more customers. I quickly began wiping down a table, and looked up to see Lyn staring at the Marauders. Sensing me looking, she returned my glance and giggled, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I shook my head at her, rolling my eyes, but I gave another little giggle, too.


	2. Just a little kiss

**AN: Why hello there! thanks to anyone who's reading this, and I'm just letting you know that this chapter has been rewritten! It's still not as good as I would like, but at least it makes sense, now (: I'm looking foward to re writing the rest! - Harli **

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The cold air nipped at whatever skin it could find that night, but all I could do was wrap my jacket tighter around myself as Sirius and I walked away from the diner. I wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but when Lyn and I got off, the Marauders had pulled us over to their table and held us there for almost an hour, talking and laughing with us like we were long lost friends. When I'd finally looked at my watch and realised that Mum had been expecting me half an hour ago, I'd excused myself and run off, only for none other than Sirius Black to chase after me and offer to walk me home.

Was I dreaming?

No, I determined as I pinched myself discretely. But there had been enough silence, I decided. The six of us had been quite friendly in the diner, but just the two of us alone outside was a little different.

"So," I asked eventually. "Why did you come to Gigi's, of all Diners?"

"Well," Sirius ran a hand through his hair in a very James-like gesture. "To be honest, it was because a friend of mine said that Gigi's had the hottest waitresses."

He looked down with a cheeky grin on his face, but all I could do was raise my eyebrows. I didn't know whether to be flattered of annoyed by how, well, by how _male_ they had been. I knew that Lyn was gorgeous, of course, and the other waitress, Clara, was simply stunning. But me? I opened my mouth to say something rude, but ultimately I was more flattered than disgusted.

"Really?" I asked. "Who the hell said that?"

"Uh, you wouldn't know him, my mate Johnny. He works at-"

"Harlequin Tattoos? Johnny Barnes? Yeah, I know him." I said dryly. Know him? Hell, we grew up together. And he grew up well. I could only think of him as the skinny git who teased me, but he'd bulked up a little and made a name for himself as an artist.

I was happy to note that Sirius looked stunned, no doubt surprised that I knew someone like Johnny.

"And that does sound like him, sending you on a wild goose chase to Gigi's," I added to my last statement with a flap of my hand, but Sirius was quick to cut in.

"Well, he was right, wasn't he?" He said flirtily, flashing me a mischievous grin.

Sirius looked at me as we walked, and there was an undeniable twinkle in his eye which almost made me stumble on the dark pavement. It was a tad shocking for someone like me to be looked at like_ that_ by someone like him, but of course I shouldn't have been surprised. This was just Sirius trying to get in my pants, after all, and he'd obviously lowered his standards. I'd dealt with this type of behaviour so often with Johnny and hell – I worked in a _diner _for merlin's sake, so I was fairly expert at keeping things completely unsexual. Although, often that was the last thing I wanted to do. Johnny was almost always hanging around somewhere, and now that Sirius had discovered Gigi's too, I was surrounded with temptation.

I wanted so badly to give in, but I didn't want to be one of 'those' girls, the ones that guys use and then just throw away. I'd seen that happen to my mum, and I refused to follow in her footsteps. So, I gestured that we walk through the park to our right, and forced myself to change the subject.

"What did you guys think of the pie? Gigi just hired this new chef, and-"

"It was almost as delicious as you in that little waitress dress," he murmured, voice low and gorgeous.

I couldn't help it, I felt my cheeks begin to burn, and I looked away, embarrassed. He tugged on the sleeve of my coat, pulling me over to one of the benches on either side of the path, and we sat. It was situated right under a lamppost, so I could clearly see Sirius under the humming yellow light. He really was handsome. He had the most perfectly structured face I'd ever seen – high cheekbones, big eyes, full lips – but his features were roughened out slightly, giving the look of an edgy rock star, almost. I felt a jolt of insecurity as I admired him, it was safe to say that I wasn't used to being aroung guys who were prettier than me. My fear was backed up by the realisation that I was still blushing, and that with a simple glance my way he would be able to tell that I was flustered. Looking away sharply at that thought, I picked at a hole in my stockings for a second before squaring my jaw and looking back at him. _Who cares what he thinks of me?_

I cleared my throat wearily, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue flirting, or whatever it was he wanted.

But no. The next thing I knew, cool fingers had slid under my chin and turned my head to face his. He'd sat closer than I'd realised, and his face was now only a few inches from mine. I looked up into his eyes, and boy, what a mistake that was.

They were grey, a fact I'd never really noticed before – never had _reason_ to notice before, and boy were they gorgeous. And also staring unwaveringly at my lips.

Oh god.

I had a pretty clear indication of what he was going to do next, and for a moment I was completely frozen. He began to cautiously move his lips closer to mine, and I silently waged war with the small – ok, _large_ – part of me that wanted to let him kiss me. Sadly thankfully my sensible side won, and I turned my head away fractionally. Sirius paused, his eyes flicked up to mine questioningly as I bit my lip with longing.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do better than that."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I stood and turned sharply on my heel, continuing the walk home. He followed, a slightly astonished look on his face.

"I… What?"

_Yeah Alex, what? Where in the name of merlin's saggy underwear did that sassy side come from? _I was proud of myself, though. Usually I was too shy to be that forward with people other than friends._ Oh well, better roll with it. _I thought to myself feverishly

"Because you are not the type of guy I want to be kissing." Liar. "I know your reputation," I said, perhaps a bit too harshly. "I'm not... Your kind of girl. The one-night-stand type of girl."

There I go, lying to myself again. But I didn't want to be like that, and this was me trying to change. Or at least, that's what I told myself. Maybe I was just too stubborn to let him kiss me when we weren't dating.

I'd never been able to hold a steady relationship. I mean, my longest relationship was maybe two months, and that was with... Remus.

Oh, shit. Remus.

"Er, your mate Remus would possibly murder you in your sleep, too." I added as soon as the realisation struck. He looked even more confused, which was kind of adorable, actually.

"Remus? Why would he care?" For a second I was too shocked to speak, or walk for that matter. I paused on the path, jaw dropping slightly. Sirius by then looked slightly desperate.

I drew back even further from him. Did this mean that Remus actually managed to keep our relationship a secret from the Marauders? Or was Sirius just saying that Remus didn't give a shit about me anymore…? I doubted the first, I mean, those boys were as thick as thieves... But surely Remus still… Or maybe not.

I decided to approach the topic as gingerly as possible.

"I… I know it was months ago… But does Remus honestly-" I began slowly, but Sirius cut in with a questioning look on his face, head tilted to the side.

"What was months ago?"

Oh shit… He'd never told them.

Well, I'd just put my foot in it, then. So much for 'gingerly'.

"Oh," was all I managed. "Oh. Well, er, I think that's something you should talk to him about," I stuttered.

"Oh come on, tell me!" he asked, curiosity burning playfully in his eyes. He pranced in front of me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"No," I said, shaking my head and biting back an unexpected grin. "Ask him."

Thankfully, Sirius dropped it, which I was not expecting.

"Ok," he said simply, shrugging. Man he was easily distracted. "But for being so respectful, I think I deserve a reward, don't you?" He asked. I laughed outright.

"Really, now? A reward?" I giggled. He grinned down at, me placing an arm around my shoulders.

"Yes. I think I've been a rather good boy. Walking you home, not being too pushy."

"Seriously?" I was stuck between wonderment and pure, untainted disbelief.

Here he was, asking for a reward. Like some kind of dog. And to be honest, I didn't know quite what he would want, from what I'd seen tonight it could be anywhere between wanting his belly rubbed, or a blowjob.

"Erm," I stalled, still laughing, though now somewhat nervously.

"Oh come on, Alex," he pleaded, head tilting to the side endearingly again.

"It depends entirely on what your idea of a reward is, you realise. You ask me to take my top off and I'm neutering you, Black."

Sirius laughed at the severity of my comment, throwing his head right back and showing off his perfect neck.

"No, no," he managed after a second. "But I do want to see you again before we go back to school."

"Well, you know where I work, I'm there almost every day," I offered, caught off guard. I veered off the path when I realised we'd almost passed the apartments, and I dragged him after me, stopping to stand by my door.

"So I'll see you?" he asked, hands in pockets, looking at me through his shaggy hair.

"I hope so."

We stood there for a moment longer before Sirius stepped back and turned to leave, but my traitorous body leapt forward and pulled him back, dragging his face down to mine.

His hands were around my back before I really knew what was happening, and he'd pushed me against my door a second later. Our lips were battling roughly, tongues already sliding together and I honestly had no idea how it could be so bloody _perfect_ while our noses were bumping and our teeth clacking.

We did need to breathe, though, and the second we pulled apart I shoved him off me, awkwardly reaching up to fix my hair and doing the customary why-the-hell-did-I-do-that dance of looking down and away and anywhere but him, shuffling around nervously from foot to foot.

"I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Oh for Merlins sake, don't apologise," Sirius said coarsely, ruffling his dark hair. "That was…" he paused, looking around him for inspiration before his eyes landed on me again. "Well, I'd do it again, at any rate."

I couldn't help a little giggle escape my throat. My heart was racing double – if not triple – time, and my hands were shaking ever so slightly. It wasn't every day that I jumped on handsome young men, honestly.

"Come on then," I said flippantly, surprising myself yet again that night.

"Gladly," He growled, before pressing his lips slowly to mine.

This kiss was softer, slower. Sweeter. His hand reached up and cupped my face, thumb running over my cheekbone sensuously. He pulled away after only a second, moving his mouth to my neck and planting a lazy kiss there. I sighed blissfully as he trailed kisses up to my jaw, then returned his focus to my mouth and caught my lower lip between his.

His free hand had snuck into my jacket while we were occupied, and there it rested on my waist as we kissed. Warning bells began to ring (although they really should've been ringing since he walked into the diner) when his hand drifted lower, cupping my backside and giving it a light squeeze. I broke away.

"Oh, and you were doing so well," I said cheekily. "What a shame, truly."

He gave a light chuckle and drew back. "I should go, then…"

"Yeah," I muttered, looking at the ground. I'd run out of sass. "But come see me sometime."

"I will," he said with a grin, and Sirius was soon stalking off into the distance, black jacket blending with the shadows.

_What the _hell_ did I just do?!_

_What?!_

~o~

Mum was asleep by the time I had calmed myself down enough to go upstairs. I dumped my stuff in the lounge and peeled off my jacket and waitress outfit then and there so I wouldn't wake up Lia as I crept into our shared room. I didn't bother with any toiletries, just flopped (gently, silently) into bed.

"Lala, is that you?" Damn, not as quiet as I'd thought.

So many people had nicknames given to them by their younger siblings, and that was mine. It was the closest thing she could pronounce to 'Alexandra' when she was a baby, and she never really bothered to say anything else after that.

To this day I still wonder if she could ever really say my name…

"Yeah, it's me," I replied softly.

"Was work ok?"

Lia's voice was the most precious thing in the world, especially when she's tired. It was so clear and soft, and _young_.

"Same as usual," I whispered back, smiling at her politeness. Merlin knows where she got it, I was never around enough and Mum was shocking, but somehow little Amelia turned out fine.

"I could see a boy out the window, was he your friend?"

"Yeah, Lia. He came in to work and walked me home after I was finished."

"Nice of him," she said, falling asleep again already.

"I think I like him, Lia."

"Mmm," was all I heard.

"What do I do?"

But Lia was asleep, and she wouldn't have been able to help anyway. Eleven year olds aren't very experienced in matters of the heart.

I sighed and rolled over. I'd just figure it out as I went along.


	3. Outta the bag

Sirius and I met up a few times during the holidays, and each time I told myself that nothing would happen. I stood in front of the mirror, looked myself right in the eye and said; 'Today you will not let him kiss you.'

But he did. Every single time. And I did nothing to stop him.

The last time I'd seen him had been a few days ago, we'd gone to a party and discovered that we liked the same kind of music. As in, we both worshiped The Buzzcocks. That was surprising in itself, as obviously he was a Black, and they are easily the most ferocious purebloods I've ever heard of. He told me that he was just interested in muggles, and had listened to their music to annoy his parents.

We talked, and drank and partied, but I sobered up when I found myself considering asking him back to my place for a little, well, 'after party'. That time, when I stood in front of the mirror, I stared myself in the eyes and swore that I wouldn't do anything rash, or stupid. And screwing Sirius Black would definitely count as both. Somehow (mostly by just avoiding him), I managed to keep that promise for the rest of the holidays, and when it was finally time to go back to school I was pretty pleased with myself.

That faded almost as soon as I got to Kings Cross. He was the first person I spotted. I flicked a hasty smile his way when he looked at me, but I quickly continued my search for Lyn. I knew things would be different now that it was school, and I was fine with that. Hell, I expected that. But I did not expect Sirius to walk up behind me and give me a one armed hug, saying (loudly) that it was so great to see me and he'd missed me at the Diner the on Saturday. I laughed nervously.

"Good to see you too, Black," I said, hugging him back tentatively. I looked around nervously, hoping that no one had seen our little exchange. Sadly, I recognised a few curious faces in the crowd, and even a few jealous ones. "Shall we get on?" I asked, gesturing to the red steam engine only a few strides away.

"Sure," he said casually. Lugging my suitcase behind me, I boarded the train and followed Sirius down the train until he stopped at a compartment and grinned at the occupants. Trying to squeeze past him, I almost got away, but bloody Sirius stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said playfully. "Come and sit with us, there's plenty of room."

"Oh, I should really find Lily and Lyn…" I said, nervously flicking my eyes to either side. I felt like a trapped animal, desperately looking for any means of escape. Sadly, this was not my day.

"They're right here," he laughed. Yay. I sighed in resignation and let him guide me into the compartment. I swear his hand lingered on the small of my back, but then again, I was probably imagining it. Most definitely.

He lied. Oh, Lily and Lyn were there all right, squashed between James and a wall. There was definitely not 'plenty of room'. On the bench opposite them were Remus and Peter. Sirius plonked himself down next to them and I wrestled my suitcase up onto the storage ledge with a quick hand from Remus. He didn't say a word. There'd been a chorus of 'hey's when I'd walked in, and everyone seemed to be waiting expectantly for me to say something. After smiling and greeting them all, I awkwardly looked around for a place to sit. Sirius shoved Peter and Remus along to make room for me, and I apprehensively sat.

"Alex!" Lily half-squealed belatedly. "How were your holidays? How's everyone at Harlequins?" Lily was in fine form, her deep red hair gleaming and "And for that matter, how's Johnny?" she asked, throwing in a suggestive wink. I winced, too scared to look at Sirius, but I saw Lyn raise her eyebrows at the expression that must have been on his face. The only thought going through my head at the time was 'I am going to kill Lily!' I didn't know what to say, but I wouldn't have gotten a chance even if I did, as James swiftly cut in.

"You know Johnny?" he directed his comment at me, but looked at Lily, too. Then again, I think he was constantly looking at Lily these days. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Lily, on the other hand, was still in denial about her feelings for James.

"Yeah, I know him," Lily said icily to him. Just the tone of voice she used brought a smile to my face. I looked at Lyn, and she was smiling too, trying hard to contain silent laughter. I tried hard to ignore the fact that Sirius was pressed up against me, and had snuck an arm around my waist. I think Lyn noticed, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, well… Uh-"

"What, Potter?" Lily snapped. "Why should it bother you who I know?" She glared at him, folding her arms. I couldn't contain a quick giggle, and that was all it took to set us off. Lyn and I burst into raucous laughter, clutching our stomachs and everything. The boys stared at us like we were aliens, and I realised again that Remus hadn't said a word since we arrived. Neither had Peter, but then again, that was fairly normal. Those thoughts were enough to sober me long enough to grab the two girls, one hysterical, one fuming, and wave a quick goodbye to the Marauders.

"See you later," I said brightly. The last I saw of them, they were looking at each other and shrugging like we were one of the greatest mysteries of life. To them, I'm sure we were.

I dragged the girls all the way to an empty compartment half way down the train. Lyn still had not stopped laughing and Lily looked furious. I bit back a smile, and realised how much I'd missed these two idiots. By the way, that's really a compliment from me. I find idiot to be a very loving word.

"That-was-hilarious!" Lyn managed between chuckles. I giggled at her, a grin tugging at my mouth.

"I know, right!"

"No, it was not." Lily said. I stopped smiling.

"Lily, I'm sorry," I said as sincerely as I could manage. "You know we can't handle the way you two fight, it's just… Funny!" Lily just raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

"I just think you're being-" Lily began, but Lyn abruptly broke into verse.

"Oh Lily!" Lyn said melodiously. She leapt off the seat and knelt down in front of her. "I beseech thee, forgive us for our evil ways," I started to laugh again, and Lyn raised her voice to be heard. "We only thinketh thoust love for James be shown in strangeth ways!"

"What the hell, Lyn?!" I said in slight disbelief. "Lily, what she means is that we're sorry." But I needn't have worried. I could tell Lily was trying hard not to smile, and Lyn was staring up at her with huge puppy eyes. Abruptly Lily smiled, looking away. She'd been broken.

"Ok!" She said. "Get up before I hex you." We all laughed again, and Lyn returned to her seat. It took a moment for us to sober up, but we managed in eventually.

"So," Lily started abruptly. "What did you and Johnny-boy get up to in the holidays, hmm?" I felt a slight blush creep onto my cheeks and I looked away slightly. That was all they needed. Lily gasped dramatically and Lyn leapt up and gave a loud whoop.

"I knew it!" she cried.

"So what happened?" Lily hounded.

"Settle down, guys," I said, rolling my eyes. "Nothing happened with Johnny. Nothing."

"But who the hell was that guy you owled us about, then?"

"Well, someone came to Gigi's and recognised me…" Lyn immediately knew who I was talking about. Lily, however, was looking at me blankly. Lyn looked shell-shocked.

"No," Lyn breathed. "You didn't, did you?"

"Who?" Lily demanded. I pressed my hands to my cheeks, trying to cool them down.

"Why would you do that? Are you insane?" Possibly.

"Who the hell is he?" Lily sounded desperate.

"It's going to end badly, Alex!" Probably, yes.

"Will someone please tell me who the hell it is?"

"You know how much he hurt you last time," Yeah- wait, what? I frowned at Lyn, holding up a finger to silence Lily.

"Last time? Who do you think I'm talking about?"

"Lupin, obviously. I'm telling you, it's a bad idea, Alex."

"You've started seeing Remus again?" Lily asked reproachfully. "Alex, you know I love you, but-"

"It wasn't Remus!" I said indignantly. "Think about it, who else came in with Remus?" She still looked a little confused.

"Peter?"

"Ew," Lily said. "Unless it was him…?" she corrected herself politely. I scrunched up my nose.

"No way." By then Lily had obviously guessed that the Marauders had visited us, and she was looking a little concerned.

"It wasn't Potter, was it?" Lyn asked carefully. She risked sidelong glance at Lily who was suddenly very interested in her nails.

"I should hope you have better taste than that, Alexandra," she said in a very clipped tone. I suppressed a giggle. She was so in love.

"No, don't worry," I assured her. "I wouldn't touch Potter, Lils."

"Then- Oh. Oh!" Comprehension finally dawned on Lyn. "No way," she breathed. "You didn't, not him, not Sirius Black." I gave a little nod and she squealed. "Oh good merlin, our little Alex is shacking up with a god!"


	4. A Party, you say?

Dinner was, as usual, a completely delicious affair. I was always astounded with the quality (and quantity) of the food, but tonight the house elves (castle elves?) had out done themselves. When the meals appeared on our plates I felt myself salivate and had to take a moment to drink in the splendour of it all. That didn't last long, though, as I was hungry as all hell.

After dinner, we traipsed up to our room, happy now that our stomachs were full, and unpacked our trunks. Not a lot was said as we, along with the other two girls in our dorm that we were quite friendly with, prepared for bed, but when Lily suggested a good old gossip session, we all started to chat comfortably. The five of us, Lily, Lyn, Mary, Delia and I were sprawled on our beds discussing which colour hair we like on guys when a dim shape tapped on the tower window. Lily stood to open it, and to our surprise an owl flapped in.

"Who the hell is getting mail at this time of night?" Delia asked in her soft voice. She was a real beauty, but modest enough to be genuinely likable, and she was not at all slutty like other girls that attractive. That was enough to warrant friendship with her.

"Let me see," Lily muttered before groaning loudly as she plucked a note from the owls beak. "It's from the Marauders." Suddenly everyone was squealing and scrambling to read it over Lily's shoulder, including me. Well, I took part in the scrambling, not the squealing. I don't squeal. Ever.

"What does it say?" Lyn demanded.

"Show us, Lily!"

"Alright, alright," she said resignedly "Let me read it out." She cleared her throat dramatically before holding the note in front of her and reading regally. "'We know you're always up for a little rule breaking, so who's up for a party celebrating being back at school?' Oh look, they want us to break the rules. Surprise." Lily commented dryly.

"Get on with it!" I said.

"'If you're up for it, come to the room of requirement in fifteen minutes, and be prepared to have fun,' signed 'The Marauders.'"

"Where even is tha'?" Mary asked in her thick accent. It was obvious that she was full blooded Scottish.

"I know where it is," I put forward.

"Then let's go!" Lyn said. "Why are we still standing here, come on!" But everybody looked to Lily, as she was still head girl, and breaking the rules was a touchy subject with her.

"Can we go Lily?" Delia asked. "Please?"

"Come on Lils," I said. "It won't break too many rules!"

"Thirteen rules, actually," she muttered. Wow. So many for a little party?

"Can we go anyway?" Lyn asked. "Please?" Lily sighed, and I saw her deflate. I knew the answer a second before she said it.

"Fine."

There was a chorus of cheers as we all leapt around the room in a moment of sheer excitement. I mean, it wasn't every day that the Marauders, the gods of the school, invited you to a party. Well, whenever they had parties the entire school was invited, so let me rephrase that; it's not every day that the Marauders invite you to a private party.

"Wait!" I shouted. The room froze and looked at me expectantly. "What do we wear?" I asked innocently. Suddenly there was a flurry of movement as trunks were thrown open, and clothes ripped out.

"I vote we jus' go in our wee nighties," Mary offered. I nodded in agreement,

"Yeah, let's give them a bit of a show," Lyn added, wiggling her eyebrows. "How's this?" she asked, holding up a sheer nightie that really wouldn't cover much.

"No!" Lily squealed. She might be breaking the rules with us, but obviously she would not go that far. "Lyn, don't you dare wear that!"

"Come on, Lily!" Lyn said, pouting. She poked her tongue out at Lily when she turned to face me.

"Alex!" She screeched. "Talk some sense into them!" Why that job fell to me, I shall never know.

"Uh, guys, let's not be too slutty, 'mkay?" There was a reluctant chorus of 'fine's, and Lily looked satisfied.

"Thank you, Alex," she said.

"Welcome," I mumbled back. I was contemplating whether or not bringing a bottle of Firewhiskey would be pushing my luck with Lily. "Lyn," I hissed, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Firewhiskey, or no?" She merely looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and a wicked grin on her face. That was a yes, then. I subtly dug out the bottle from my trunk and put it on my bed, ready for when we left. I noticed that the others were almost ready and I looked down at myself, checking over my pyjamas. Baggy pants with purple and blue stripes paired with a matching purple singlet. Eh, good enough. Peeking around Delia to look in the mirror, I artfully ruffled my blonde tresses and decided that I was good to go. Chucking on a cardigan, I picked up my bottle and stood by the door, waiting.

"Is that really what you're wearing, Alex? You should at least look good," Lily said disdainfully from her bed, where she was putting on a pair of slippers. I noted that she wore substantially less than me.

"What?" I asked, an eyebrow raised. "I thought we were supposed to be looking modest?" Looking her up and down meaningfully, I smiled and rolled my eyes when she blushed and mumbled something that I didn't quite catch.

"Well, are we ready?" Lyn demanded as she came to stand by me. "Chop chop, we're running late!"

"Just one more second…" Delia said as she finished her hair.

"Lily, you're the best at that invisibility charm, you do us, quick." One after the other, we all disappeared as Lily muttered the charm, before finally turning her wand on herself. I watched as she gave a quick shimmer, then faded completely. I'd never quite mastered that spell.

"An' we're off!" Mary said softly as we padded down the stairs into the common room. It was almost midnight by then, so no-one was there, but we stayed silent nonetheless. I gave a hiss of pain when I stubbed my toe near the portrait of Manny the Maiden, but other than that no sound was heard until we reached the seventh floor corridor that housed the Room of Requirement. The others watched the light from my wand bob past a certain spot three times before a door appeared and Lyn gave a tiny cheer.

Upon entering the room, I nodded my head approvingly at what the boys had summoned. It was a cosy little room with two couches facing each other and multiple bean bags, with a little table in the corner and a door that looked like it might lead to a bathroom. The girls poured in after me and they all nodded their seal of approval. We were also immediately able to see that our dress code was perfect, as the Marauders sat on spread around the room in mainly boxers and tee-shirts. They looked at the door expectantly as we walked in, but looked a little confused when all they could see was the light from our wands.

"Oh, right," I said, flicking my wand and muttering the counter-charm. The girls did the same, and for a second we stood there awkwardly while the Marauders looked over us approvingly. I tried not to notice that Remus and Sirius were both staring at me.

Clearing my throat, I stepped forward and said; "I brought alcohol!"

"How the hell did I not notice that!" Lily squeaked. "Alex, how could you!"

"Quite easily, apparently," I said easily. There were a few chuckles, but Lily looked outraged, so I walked over to the table and put the bottle down. "Sorry Lils, we won't drink it, then." The others still looked a bit awkward, so I took it upon myself to break the ice. Plonking myself down on the couch next to James, I looked them over. "So! What's the plan?"

"Well," Sirius began, smirking incessantly. Hm. Usually not a good sign. "We did our research, and thought we'd try a game of Truth or Dare. Wizards Truth or Dare, of course."

"No!" "Yes!" Lily and Lyn said at the same time. Three guesses who was who.

"This could be interesting," I heard Delia mumble, and Mary swore quietly. They must know this game. I did, too, so I knew it would be fun, but at the same time things could certainly get, uh, interesting, as Delia put it.

"Ok, I'm up for it," I offered, gesturing for the others to come sit. They did, but Lily hesitated.

"Come on, Lils," Lyn said to her. "It'll be fun, I promise." Lily looked as though she was fully resigned to our ways, and I could tell she was thinking that she might us well enjoy herself. I whispered a tiny 'yes!', but no-one heard.

"Ok, who's starting?" James said loudly. "Oh, does everyone know the rules?" Every one nodded. "Good. The only changes are that if you pick truth, you take a sip of this," he said, procuring a large vial of clear liquid.

"Veriteserum?" I asked reverently. "You'd have to be a genius to steal that form Slughorn, how'd you manage it?"

"Ah, but we are genius's, aren't we?" Sirius said cockily.

"We used our tremendous talent to-"

"They tricked me into stealing it for them when I was helping him tidy up," Remus said, cutting over what was sure to become a tale of epic proportions.

"Oh, that's low," Delia said, Lyn 'mmm'ing in agreement. James opened his mouth to argue, but I slapped him on the back of the head.

"Drop it," I said viciously. "And hurry up, I want to play already."


	5. Good old Firewhiskey

AN: Warning! This chapter is a bit cliche-y, but c'mon! I had to! Enjoy :D

Two rounds into our game of truth or dare, everyone was finally enjoying themselves. We'd ditched the couches, pushing them back to instead sit in a circle on the ground, and I was between Sirius and Delia. So far, everyone had picked truth, and they had been pretty tame. Surprisingly tame, even. Mary had had to tell us if she was a virgin or not (she was), and Remus had to say what he'd do if all the books in the world spontaneously combusted (jump off a bridge). So now it was Remus' turn, and my heart gave a little leap when his eyes rested on me. Not a good leap, I might add.

"Sirius," he said decidedly. I sighed in relief. Leaning forward next to me, Sirius stared at Remus, looking more excited than was natural at a game of truth or dare.

"Gimme your best dare," he said. Remus looked at me again, and I became rather wary.

"Snog Delia for ten seconds."

Oh.

"I'm alright with that," Sirius said happily, not even glancing at me. Delia leaned forward to glance at him, and I noticed her cheeks were bright pink.

"Do I have to?" She squeaked.

"I'm afraid so," said Remus gravely. Well. This was a new side of him. A side I didn't much like, truth be told. I moved back, out of the circle to give them some room, and they both shuffled forward. On their knees, they met in the middle and pressed their lips together. All I could do was watch.

"Ten!" The group chorused. Sirius looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Nine!" Oh, look at that… His hand is now on her waist.

"Eight!" Aaaand now he was slippin' the tongue in.

"Seven!" I couldn't watch.

"Six!" Lily was looking at me strangely, and I realised that I wasn't joining in.

"Five!" This time my voice was the loudest of them all.

"Four!" Looking around the circle, I forced a grin on my face, matching the others expressions.

"Three!" I glanced at Sirius and Delia again, and I felt a pang of jealousy, but shoved it away.

"Two!" I'm an amazing liar. Or actress.

"One!" I doubt anyone suspected a thing.

"Zero!" As they broke apart, we dissolved into applause, and Sirius took a bow. While all the guys high fived and clapped him on the back, the girls all circled around Delia, who was beet red. I nudged her with my elbow suggestively, keeping to my role.

"So…" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. "How was it?" Not that I thought it was possible, but she turned even redder.

"It was… Great," she said breathlessly. Yeah, I'd been out of breath too, after kissing him. Everyone giggled and in time we all got back into the circle. I didn't fully understand why I was so jealous, but I was. And I was also fully pissed at Remus.

"Black!" Lyn barked, when he didn't do anything. "Your turn, idiot!"

"Keep your panties on," he said, holding up his hands. "Or actually…" Since I was closest, I slapped him around the head.

"Thank you, my dearest Alex," Lyn said, a pleased smile on her face. "Now hurry up!"

"Ok, ok." Sirius muttered. Abruptly he turned to me, a manic grin on his face. "Alex!" Oh god. "Truth or Dare?"

"I need a drink first."

"Alex!" Lily cried. I ignored her and grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey, taking a swig straight from the bottle. So… Truth or Dare… Truth seemed like the safer option, but I would be forced to answer truthfully, I couldn't lie my way out. And if I picked a dare, all I'd have to do was snog someone, or give them a lap dance… Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

"You almost done there, Alex?" Lyn asked, hurrying me along.

"Ok, Dare it is." I was going to regret this. Seeing the gleam in Sirius's eyes, I knew I was. He smirked at me, and I felt the need to punch him. "Don't you dare make it too dirty!" I warned.

"Who, Me? Never!" I rolled my eyes.

"What do I have to do?" I asked, fully resigned to my fate.

"Prongs, mate. Where's that list?" To my extreme distaste, I saw James pull out a bit of parchment and hand it to Sirius. Leaning over, I saw it was entitled 'Dirty Dares'.

"What the hell?" I screeched. "Why did you make a list?" The Marauders all laughed, apart from Remus, who rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's best to be prepared, isn't it?" James said.

"Potter, that's disgusting!" Lily said. James looked properly chastised, but we'd already moved on. Sirius had thrust his arm in the air and announced that he'd picked one. I groaned.

"What is it, then?"

"Blindfolded, you have to kiss everyone in this room, guess who was who, then say which was the best kisser." Oh my god. Abruptly everyone was cheering, even the girls. I put my face in my hands and groaned again.

"That's not fair," I moaned. "Can I change to truth, please?" Sirius shook his head, a smirk on his face, as usual.

"You know the rules, Pearce." Oh, last names now, was it?

"This should be fun," Lyn said.

"You realise I have to kiss you, too?" I said.

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Hearing that the guys all gave a whoop and James wolf whistled. I saw the twinkle in Lyn's eyes and giggled. Sure, we'd kissed on the cheek before. She just wanted to get the boys riled up. It had worked, too.

"So where's the bloody blindfold," I shouted over the noise. "Let's get this over with!" Someone produced a blindfold and was tying it around my head before I knew what was happening.

"Get up, Alex," Sirius said, helping me stand. I most definitely didn't have goose bumps where his arm held mine. I heard everyone else stand up too, and I told myself that it'd be over soon. "Alright, here's number one," Sirius said smoothly. I felt a soft peck on the cheek and smelt a waft of vanilla, and I knew it was either Delia or Lily. They used the same shampoo.

"Delia?" I asked, hazarding a guess. She giggled and said yes. I felt her move away, then there was a sound of shuffling feet. Everyone was whispering, and I felt very vulnerable all of a sudden. I heard a step, and someone, undoubtedly female, planted a kiss on my lips.

"No male has lips that soft," I said with a little giggle. "Mary?" She laughed, and I knew I was right.

"I hope tha' was a good 'un," she said cheekily. I laughed with her.

Number three was male, no doubt about it, and since whoever it was seemed to be shorter than me, it must have been Peter. Thankfully he only kissed my cheek but I had to work hard not to look disgusted.

"Peter?"

"Yeah," he said shyly. Thank god that was over.

I was taken by surprise by the next kiss, and I knew straight away who it was. She made a big show of turning it into a proper kiss, and by the time she broke away, the boys were cheering and I was almost weak at the knees. How she actually got the guts to kiss a girl like that, I'll never know. Unless he'd already been at the Firewhiskey? Yeah, that makes sense.

"Shit, Lyn. I'd forgotten how good you were!" She slapped me on the shoulder and laughed, stepping back to make room for the next person. Whoever it was seemed tall, so probably male. A hand grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into a quick kiss, and a fairly nice one at that. I was actually a bit stumped as to who it was, definitely not Remus, but very similar to Sirius's technique. However, when he broke away, a 'humph!' from Lily gave it away.

"James," I said. "Obviously."

"You got it, Pearce!" He said, laughing. I heard someone stomp up, and almost shielded myself, but the only attack was one on my lips. Lily, for that was the only one it could be, made a bit of a show of it, too. I was so sure I could hear James's jaw drop on the ground.

"Geez Lils, where did that come from?" I asked when she pulled away. She mumbled something, but I didn't have a chance to ask what, as my next assailant was on me by then. His lips were rough, and since it was between Remus and Sirius, there was no doubt that it was the latter. His kiss lasted longer than the others, and it was easily the best. He sure knew what he was doing. He'd just placed a hand on my arse when I remembered that I was angry at him, and that he'd been kissing someone else moments ago. I pushed him away angrily.

"That's assault, man whore!" I said with no hint of a smile.

"Well, she definitely knows who it is," Remus muttered.

"I was just doing what everyone else did!" He cried indignantly. The material over my eyes was beginning to itch, and I pulled it off in frustration, glaring at him.

"No one else tried to grab my butt!"

"But... Right. Sorry." He looked almost hurt. I must remind myself to talk to him about things like kissing, and how we aren't going to be doing it any more.

"You should be!" I cried. Everyone else in the room was silent, staring at us in shock. Sirius didn't say anything, and I took a deep breath. "Sorry," I said eventually. "Just forget it." I sat back down, chucking the blind fold over my shoulder. "My turn, right?" There were a few nods, and slowly everyone else sat down too. Thankfully, Sirius sat next to James, and Lyn next to me.

"You ok?" She asked softly. "I thought you two were going out, or something?" Looking around, I don't think anyone else heard, thankfully.

"No, we never were. Lily, truth or dare?" She looked nervously at the bottle of Veriteserum and said dare. "I dare you to sit in James's lap for three rounds."

"WHAT!" She shrieked. "Alex, how could you?" She glared at me with hurt in her eyes, but I just stared back lovingly.

"One day you'll thank me!" I crowed to her, bad mood instantly forgotten. I was thankful that my outburst had stopped me from having to kiss Remus, a fact for which I was very glad. Everyone laughed while a very red Lily went to sit on a very happy looking James. Lily scowled at me the entire time, and I had a feeling that she would be angry at me for years to come. Or at least until she and James got together. Then everything would be fine.

The game went on this way for a few hours, the Firewhiskey being passed around and everyone doing embarrassing dares and telling equally embarrassing truths. It was only after poor old Delia was asked to describe her ultimate sexual fantasy that Lily stood up from her seat (which happened to be James, as we'd never felt the need to point out that three rounds were over) and announced that we'd better be going. We all agreed quickly, pulling Delia with us and fare-welling the Marauders cheerfully. And drunkenly.

The next morning we realised that we'd never charmed ourselves on the way back, so if any teachers had stumbled across us, five girls in tiny pyjamas carrying an empty bottle of Firewhiskey, we would have been in deep shit. Thankfully, we made it back without any mishap, to collapse into bed at three in the morning, completely tired out and looking forward to sleeping in.


End file.
